Pages

3 New Laws to Make it Harder for Owner to Harass You Out of Your Apartment

Mayor de Blasio has signed into law 3 new laws that make it harder for landlords to pressure tenants out:

· Intro. 757-A, sponsored by Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, makes it unlawful for an owner to make a buyout offer within 180 days of a tenant explicitly refusing one.

· Intro. 682-A, sponsored by Council Member Dan Garodnick, makes it unlawful for an owner, in connection with a buyout offer, to threaten a tenant, to contact tenants at odd hours, or to provide false information to a tenant.

· Intro. 700-A, sponsored by Council Member Jumaane Williams, makes it unlawful for an owner to make a buyout offer without informing tenants of their right to stay in their apartment, to seek an attorney’s advice, and to decline any future contact on a buyout offer for 180 days.

The penalty for violating the new laws range from $1,000 to $10,000 in fines for a first offense, to between $2,000 and $10,000 for subsequent offenses. “We won’t let tenants be intimidated and forced out of their homes,” said de Blasio. “These new laws protect tenants from harassment and aggressive buyout schemes and simultaneously help the City keep neighborhoods affordable.”